Stories from travels in

Mary Murphy

Dating frescos by fashion

Forget carbon dating – let’s use fashion instead. Yes, things are done differently in Malta.

Where continuity has been broken

Until the 1980s, what is now Is-Simar wildlife sanctuary in Malta was a marshy area used as a dump. Back in 1995, BirdLife Malta took

La Sixieme Heure

To say Geneva is expensive is a little like saying that Sultan Kösen is tall. It’s just a hair’s breadth from being a massive understatement.

Bricks and Mortar in Chişinău

Wandering around Chişinău on Sunday, still trying to put my finger on what I find so interesting about the place, I decided to focus on

Burnt hair and beans

Step off Stefan cel Mare into another world – the Piata Centralã – which opened its doors (or its gates) in 1994 and since then

The Forgotten Conflict

Chişinău is not for the faint-hearted. Tourists are few and far between and every time I open my mouth, people laugh. Not a ha ha

So many men

Walking out of the airport in Chisinau was just a tad intimidating. A strange feeling for me, a woman who is somewhat allergic to oestrogen

Il-kappella ta’ San Mattew

Maltese churches are fascinating. Legends abound and the story of San Mattew’s church and the live-in lovers is one of a kind. St Matthew’s is

Chapel-chasing in Malta

Don’t ever let anyone tell you that there’s nothing to do in Malta once you’ve seen the temples and the hypogeum. I was over there